Leaded gasoline production ends

Production of leaded gasoline has ended worldwide now that the last refinery has exhausted its supply of the fuel that’s been poisoning the air for almost a century.

The end of the toxic fuel follows intense diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and the United Nations over the past two decades, the UN’s Environment Programme said in a statement.

The global ban will prevent about a million premature deaths annually from heart disease, strokes and cancer, as well as protect children, who are particularly vulnerable to it.

Leaded gasoline was used mainly in Africa and in other low-income countries, according to the UNEP. As of 2002, more than 100 countries were still burning the fuel.

China limits online gaming

BEIJING – China is banning children from playing online games for more than three hours a week, the harshest restriction so far on the game industry as Chinese regulators continue cracking down on the technology sector.

Minors in China can only play games between 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, weekends and on public holidays starting Sept. 1, according to a notice from the National Press and Publication Administration.

That limits gaming to three hours a week for most weeks of the year, down from a previous restriction set in 2019 that allowed minors to play games for 90 minutes per day and three hours on public holidays.

From wire reportsThe new regulation affects some of China’s largest technology companies, including gaming giant Tencent, whose Honor of Kings online multiplayer game is hugely popular globally, as well as gaming company NetEase.